1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to alarm devices for indicating the operating status of electrical circuits. In particular, the invention is concerned with a device that can be mounted on a conventional circuit breaker box that will give an audible signal when any of the circuits serviced by the breaker box are tripped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical circuits are invariably provided with either fuses or circuit breakers for disconnecting electrical power from the circuit when the circuit is drawing more power than its rated capacity. The circuit will remain disconnected until the circuit breaker is manually reset or the fuse is replaced. While such a feature is essential to safe operation, it is possible that a circuit can remain in a "tripped" condition for extended periods of time before the loss of electrical power to the circuit is detected. This is particularly disadvantageous where freezer equipment, or other electrical equipment requiring a continuous source of power are serviced by the electrical circuit.
A number of alarm devices have been provided in the past for indicating the status of the circuit breakers within a circuit breaker box. Illustrative of prior devices are U.S. Pat Nos. 520,378; 2,476,236; 2,460,758; 3,562,733; 3,683,350; and 4,166,989. None of the devices provided in the past, however, are suitable for easy retrofit on conventional circuit breaker boxes. An inexpensive alarm device that could be easily retrofitted onto conventional circuit breaker boxes would therefore be a decided advantage.